Today, we are reviewing The Prodigal Son, a cigar line created for actor Martin Kove. Kove is best known for playing John Kreese, the main antagonist in the Karate Kid film series. He also reprised this role in the Cobra Kai television sequel series. For many in my generation, he is remembered as Detective Victor Isbecki from the show Cagney & Lacey. Kove’s latest project, titled The Prodigal Son, includes a four-part comic novel and a soon-to-be-released television series.
The initial Prodigal Son project was done in conjunction with Pauly DiSilvio of La Casa Grande (Bronx, NJ) and Sanj Patel of Sanj’s Smoke Shop in Bloomfield, NJ. DiSilvio has also worked with celebrity cigars, partnering with Dean Parsons to make Chazz Palmintieri’s A Bronx Tale line. DiSilvio’s La Casa Grande is an operating cigar factory in the Bronx, but wasn’t big enough to scale the production of Kove’s cigar. The two turned to Sanj Patel, who works with Tabacalera Jurarip, the factory owned by Chico Rivas in the Dominican Republic.
The Prodigal Son has seen a limited distribution so far, but there are plans to expand the line. Without further ado, let’s break down the Prodigal Son and see what this cigar brings to the table.
SPECIFICATIONS
Blend and Origin
Other than being made at Tabacalera Jurarip, no details are available on The Prodigal Son’s blend.
- Wrapper: Not Disclosed
- Binder: Not Disclosed
- Filler: Not Disclosed
- Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
- Factory: Tabacalera Jurarip,
Vitolas Available
At press time, The Prodigal Son was released in only one size: a 6 x 52 Toro. Production has been limited, and production numbers have not been disclosed.
Appearance (*)
The wrapper of The Prodigal Son was chocolate brown. The surface had a very light sheen of oil. The surface of the cigar had some bumpiness. There were some prominent visible veins. In addition, the wrapper had visible seams.
PERFORMANCE
Pre-Light Draw (*)
Before lighting The Prodigal Son, a straight cut removed the cap. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered notes of cedar, leather, and earth. This wasn’t the most exciting of pre-light draws, but there was nothing negative about it either. Since the pre-light draw is not factored into the numeric score or value rating, there was no loss of points. At this point it was time to toast up the footer of The Prodigal Son and head into the smoking phase.
Tasting Notes
The Prodigal Son opened up with notes of natural tobacco, chalk, chocolate, cedar, and molasses. Early on, the natural tobacco and chalk notes moved into he forefront. Meanwhile, the chocolate, cedar, and molasses settled in the background. On the retrohale, an additional layer of cedar emerged, with some pepper notes mixed in.
The second third of the Prodigal Son saw the natural tobacco notes remain primary. The chalk notes quickly dissipated. Meanwhile the chocolate, cedar, and molasses remained in the background. These background notes were joined by some mixed pepper notes. The cedar notes joined the natural tobacco in the forefront before the midway point. During this third, the chocolate notes were mostly in the background, but at several points they could be detected as a primary note alongside the natural tobacco and cedar. As for the molasses notes, they slowly diminished and dissipated in the latter part of the second third.
The final third saw the cedar and natural tobacco as the primary notes. Pepper increased and became more prominent, but it remained secondary. The chocolate notes still rounded things out but remained in the background. This is the way the Prodigal Son came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.
Burn
As for the burn, the Prodigal Son had a straight burn path and a relatively straight burn line. However, the cigar required frequent touchups. The touchups did the trick, but I found this cigar needed more touchups than I preferred. The resulting ash was a very light gray. This ash was slightly skewed toward the looser side. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature both maintained ideal levels.
Draw
The draw of the Prodigal Son had a touch of resistance to it. If you follow my assessments, you will know that falls right into my sweet spot. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.
Strength and Body
The Prodigal Son delivered a medium strength, medium-bodied smoking experience. Both attributes increased slightly, but the cigar remained medium in strength and body. When comparing both attributes, both the strength and body balanced each other, with neither attribute overshadowing the other.
BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)
The banding and packaging feature an Old West theme. There is also an image of Martin Kove on both in Old West gear. I thought the image of Kove translated better on the box, but I really liked how the image on the band had an oily effect.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
One thing I see with a lot of celebrity cigars is that they aim for a middle-of-the-road profile to appeal to everyone. The Prodigal Son is quite a unique profile. I’m not sure what tobaccos make up this blend, but they come together nicely. I would say the first third is the best part of this cigar, but the rest was enjoyable too. In the end, I could recommend this cigar to any cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this is a cigar I would buy and smoke again. I’d also like to see some other sizes down the road.
Summary
- Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Cedar, Chalk, Chocolate, Molasses, Pepper
- Burn: Very Good
- Draw: Excellent
- Complexity: Medium
- Strength: Medium
- Body: Medium
- Finish: Very Good
Rating
Value: Buy One
Score: 89
Let’s Get Pairing
On Episode 78 of Let’s Get Pairing, The Prodigal Son was featured.
REFERENCES
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop
(*) Indicates this is not factored into the score or value rating
